Assassin's Adagio
by Fallenangel26
Summary: Slightly AU. Several years before the series, Faye is the prime operative of the Black Dragon Syndicate, sent on a mission of vengance. She must infiltrate the Red Dragon Syndicate. But when she meets Spike Spiegel, her whole world comes apart at the seam
1. The Heroine who was not

_Hello. I am here to bring you a warning about this story. This file, here in my hand tells the tale of a woman and a man, long before they would become famous. Their story is not a happy one. This is about a real man, and a real woman. If you are looking for a tale of fluff, flowers, and happy endings, this is not the story for you. But if you don't mind leaving Lala land behind, and journeying to the world of reality, where everything is harsh, painful, and depressing, do continue. I will not lie to you. This story does not end with 'And they lived happily ever after'. It will not wrap up in a pretty bow. True, this story is not ALL sad and melancholy. You will laugh, as the characters are somewhat of a comical lot. But the horrible events in which they have been plunged bring a more depressing tone to the story. Remember, the truth is not always pleasant, painless, or morally right._

_Now that you have been warned, proceed at your own risk._

This story opens on a dismal street, somewhere on Mars. A well-dressed man walks solemnly along the sidewalk, his freshly shined shoes, kicking up tiny puffs of dust. He reaches the single streetlight in view, and stops. Smiling grimly, he leans against the post, casually scanning the street. 

As if in response, a shadowy figure steps up behind him. This one is also well dressed, his Armani trench coat with silver buttons, clings to the darkness, and melds with the shadows. 

The two men shake hands quickly, and greet the other with terse words. They exchange small talk, and other such innocent words, while subtly checking the shadows for attackers. 

Once he is sure the area is clear, the first man makes a quiet inquiry, which causes the second man to laugh. He laughs for several seconds, great guffaws that shake his whole body. Then, like someone pulling a shade over a window, he stops laughing. The other man is lying on the sidewalk, blood pooling around his limp form. 

Smiling slightly, the second man replaces his gun in the pocket of his trench coat, and regards the fallen man with grim eyes. "My answer is no."

_BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! _Faye groaned and rolled over, trying unsuccessfully to ignore the sound of her annoying new communicator. 

_BEEEEEEEEEEEP!!!!!_ The beeping began to get louder, chiming sharply somewhere behind her ears. With a strangled curse, she pulled her head out from under her pillow and sat up, fumbling on her bed stand for the annoying piece of plastic.

She contemplated it for a minute, debating whether or not to throw it as hard as she could at the wall, and then go back to sleep. Remembering her punishment the last time she had done something like this, she winced. But the real deciding factor was the niggling idea that it would bounce off the wall unharmed, and then she would have to get up out of bed and walk all the way across the bedroom to pick it up. 

With a sigh, she clicked it on. "Blayce, this better not be a test to see if I will honestly use this, because right about now, I think I would probably march all the way over to HQ and shove this down your throat!"

The blond man on the other end didn't even crack a smile. "Faye, this is serious."

"Damn it! Blayce, I'm gonna kill you!" she glared at him. "You promised! No more wake up test calls! At least not until AFTER noon!"

Blayce continued to stare stonily at her. "This isn't a test call. High Lord Neshi was murdered last night."

Faye immediately froze. "God. What happened?"

The man shook his head sadly. "He went to meet some high official from the Red Dragon. The stinking bastard shot Lord Neshi!"

Faye dropped the communicator onto the bed, and began rifling around in her closet. "I suppose the Council wants me?"

Blayce nodded, but then realized she couldn't see him. "Yup. High Lord Rusha was particularly explicit about your punishment if you're late again…"

Faye stuck out her tongue, and straightened. "Alright. I'm on my way…" she turned the communicator off, and pulled off her rumpled pajamas. 

She took a one-minute shower, dried herself in record time, and grabbed her uniform from the bed. That outfit was all black, and consisted of a pair of tight slacks, a tank top, a pair of high-heeled boots, and a short jacket. 

Checking the clock, Faye ran a brush through her dark purple hair, and pulled it back with a black headband. 

Quickly, she turned off all the lights, grabbed her keys, and left the apartment. 

When she reached the garage, she was still several minutes ahead of schedule. "I might actually make it there on time today…" she muttered, jamming her hands into black leather gloves, and pulling her helmet down over her head.

She stuck the key in the ignition of her Ducati Monstro motorcycle, and peeled out of the garage with a squeal of tires, and the smell of burning rubber.

A few minutes later, Faye was cursing fluently in several languages, describing several acts that should be physically impossible. "-Goddamnit!" she ended, panting. Looking around her, at the traffic that stretched for blocks in each direction, she slammed her fist onto the handlebars. "Shit! Shitshitshitshitshit!" 

Almost half an hour later, Faye arrived in the Council room of the Black Dragon Syndicate Headquarters. She was panting, her hair was disheveled, and she still carried her helmet under one arm.

The Council stood, watching her with narrowed eyes, and tight-lipped frowns. "Ms. Valentine. How kind of you to grace us with your presence. Would you mind explaining why you are 27 minutes and 15 seconds late?"

She bowed low. "I'm sorry, Lord Rusha. There was horrible traffic." She kept her eyes on the ground, but her back was straight, and she stood firm.

"I am sure…" Lord Rusha drawled, raising one carefully arched eyebrow.

"Lord Rusha," interjected a voice from the door. "There was actually a very bad wreck early this morning, and had not been cleared when F-Ms. Valentine left her lodging." 

"I see." Replied Lord Rusha. "But even if there was traffic, Ms. Valentine, why didn't you call ahead to warn us of your late arrival?"

Faye blushed. She had completely forgotten her communicator, where it rested in her coat pocket.

"As I thought." Lord Rusha nodded, satisfied.

Another member of the Council leaned forward. "Ms. Valentine. It may not appear this way, but we did NOT summon you here to be publicly bearded." He said, shooting a conspicuous glare at Lord Rusha. 

Farther down the table, another Lord nodded. "It is as Lord Osamu says. We brought you here to receive your next mission."

Lord Osamu turned his dark gaze on Faye. "Since Lord Takako has put it so bluntly, I can only concur. You are one of our best operatives, and we are taking a risk placing you on such a dangerous mission."

Lord Takako took up where Lord Osamu left off. "You will infiltrate the Red Dragon Syndicate and instrument our revenge!"

Well. Now you have met our heroine, Faye Valentine. This is the beginning of her unique tale. A tale that will not end quickly…


	2. Sadistical

A/N: I wanted to explain this story a little. The reason it's a little AU, is that this takes place back when Spike was working for the Red Dragon Syndicate. He's in his early 20's. I know this would mean that Faye would probably still be an icecube, but here's where the AU part comes in. Instead of being cryogenically frozen, she's about 20, and working for the Black Dragon Syndicate. The BDS is just like the RDS, and they're sworn enemies. Ummm…. I don't own Cowboy Bebop. (I'd give anything to own them, but sadly, it can never be...*tear*) The only characters I own are the Council and Blayce.

_Now, our story continues. _

"You will instrument our revenge on the Red Dragons!"

There was complete and utter silence in the Council room. 

Faye stared in shock at the Council. "What? Excuse me, but how am I going to do that?!"

Lord Osamu leaned forward. "You will go undercover as the newest recruit of the Red Dragon Syndicate. Then you will find out who it was that killed Lord Neshi, and you will deliver them to us."

Faye blinked. "Wait. Rewind… You want _me_ to pretend to be a _Red Dragon_, so that I can find out who Lord Neshi's murderer is, and bring him to justice?"

The Councilors nodded. "You are our best operative. We need someone with brains, brawn, and your _particular skills_." Said Lord Takako, raising a wry eyebrow.

Beginning to grasp the plan, Faye blinked again. "You mean, you want me to _sleep_ my way to the murderer?!" she asked, incredulous.

Lord Osamu glared. "Only if necessary. We just need someone with your particular feminine wiles. They might give you that extra edge."

"You were the top private in the Lower Syndicate, and you have risen very quickly through the ranks. This mission is your chance to prove yourself. You are the first woman to have this much rank in our Syndicate. If you complete this task successfully, we will make you the first woman to become heir to the Leadership of this Syndicate."

A collective gasp flew around the room, as the shocking news circulated. Faye stood perfectly still in the center of the room, feeling all eyes on her. 

"Very well. If this is the will of the Council, it will be done."

Faye took one last look around her apartment, checking to make sure she had everything. "I think that's it…" She declared, dumping her suitcase into the trunk of her new car, a sleek black convertible. 

"Are you sure?" asked Blayce, leaning skeptically against the car. He had been assigned as her partner, because of his outburst on her behalf earlier, when Lord Rusha had been picking on her because she was late. "I thought women were typically supposed to pack everything that they, their sisters, their sisters' friends, their friends, their friends' sisters, and everyone else within mailing distance owned! I was expecting you to have at least double digits of suitcases!"

Faye raised an eyebrow and held out her hand. "Well, I'm not exactly your typical woman, now am I?" she asked, as Blayce dropped the keys into her palm. "Besides, if I need anything, I can come back here and get it, or I can just go buy a new one…" she said, producing a money card from her purse.

Blayce's jaw dropped, as Faye climbed into the convertible, pocketing the card. "The Council gave you your own money card?!"

She grinned. "It's unlimited too!"

He scrambled into the car next to her. "I can't believe it! They never do that!"

Faye laughed as the engine revved to life. "Ahhhh…. Purrs like a kitten…" she smirked, and pressed the gas pedal to the floor.

Blayce sighed as they flew along. "I guess it's not surprising… You're the only one who can peel out of here and make it sound so good…"

Faye pulled the car to a stop, outside a tall and foreboding glass building. She checked over herself one last time in the tiny mirror on the sunshield.

Her dark hair was sleek and glossy, hanging free to brush her black-clad shoulders. She wore a black dress suit, black high heels, and shiny black sunglasses. Brushing imaginary lint from her clothes, she pocketed the keys, and stepped out of the car.

Blayce exited from the other side, looking sharp, as always. But today, Faye had to admit that he looked especially nice. A loose black dress shirt, a matching black jacket and pants, freshly shined black shoes, and his longish blond hair was pulled back in a sleek ponytail. 

They checked each other over, Faye straightening his collar and buttoning his shirt cuffs, Blayce pulling stray hairs into place and readjusting her jacket. Simultaneously, they slicked back their eyebrows, winked at each other, and walked into the building.

Inside, a pair of burly guards, who inquired as to why they were there, immediately stopped them. 

After learning that Faye and Blayce were the new recruits, they were searched for weapons, then directed them to a room at the end of the long corridor.

Spike Spiegel lay sprawled over a desk, dozing, as he dreamed of being somewhere besides this stuff room. _Anywhere but here…He thought. Maybe sleeping, or taking a smoke, or eating, or kickboxing-Oh! That sounds nice…_Without realizing it, he began going through the motions of his favorite punches.

"Dreaming of hurting someone again?" asked a wry voice from nearby. Spike's best friend Vicious, lounged over two chairs next to the desk. "I swear, you're going to turn into a sadist if I'm not careful…"

Spike rolled his eyes. "Vicious… Shut up. I'm just bored. And even if I am dreaming of hurting someone, it's probably you. Or maybe it's those recruit-wannabes that are forcing me to wait in this stupid room. Especially when I could be doing so many other things…"

Vicious chuckled, but stopped suddenly, and poked Spike in the side. 

"What the hell Vicious! That hurt! And you say I'm sadistic…" he trailed off when he noticed that they were no longer alone in the room.

A tall blonde man dressed in all black stood in the doorway, looking like he was going burst out laughing.

But the person standing next to him overshadowed the man. It was a woman, the first one besides Julia who had ever set foot in this building.

She was medium height, wearing a black suit and heels, and slick black sunglasses. She had dark violet hair, and one delicately arched eyebrow was raised above the sunglasses.

Spike rolled over, and dropped into his chair, which Vicious had just vacated.

He schooled his features into a blank mask. "Now. I assume you two are the new recruits?"

Faye hid a smile as the two men struggled to regain their dignity. 

"Now. I assume you are the new recruits?" asked the one on the right with the unruly green hair.

Faye nodded slightly, but offered no other response.

The two men exchanged glances. The other man, who had thick silver hair, raised an eyebrow. "Do you have names?"

Faye allowed a tiny smirk to tease the corners of her mouth. "I am Faye Valentine." She crooked a finger at Blayce. "And this is Blayce Gallahan."

After the interview, the two men ushered them through another door, down a short corridor, and into a large room with lots of mirrors. Faye was sure that several of them were two way, allowing people to watch them without being seen.

The room was littered with punching bags, weights, and other such things. Faye smiled, but hid it quickly, glancing around to see if anyone noticed. The green haired man met her eyes with a solemn expression, and Faye winced inwardly. But then he did the most surprising thing. He winked! It was gone so quickly that Faye was sure she had imagined it, but one glance at Blayce told her that he had seen it too.

The silver haired one was gesturing to them, so Faye pushed that strange fact into the back of her mind to puzzle over later.

"Red Dragons must have at least a little fighting experience. This is not for the weak of heart or stomach." He seemed to be looking specifically at Faye, who bristled. 

"Both Blayce and I are not rudimentary fighters, I can assure you."

The silver haired man raised an eyebrow. "I'm sure you are both well qualified, but I'm afraid we'll need to see a demonstration." He looked at Blayce. "You first."

Blayce went quickly through a combination of punches and kicks, keeping it simple.

"Very nice." The silver haired man nodded, and turned away.

"Wait!" Faye's fists were clenched. "You haven't seen me fight yet!"

The silver hair man turned slowly around, looking like a bee had just stung him. "I said, this job is not for the weak of heart or stomach. Women are both."

With a snarl, she threw herself at him, determined to show him just how weak her stomach was. 

Blayce caught her arms, and held her back, while everyone else in the room looked startled. "Calm down Faye. I know you're good. Calm down. _Don't blow this…_" he hissed quietly.

Faye abruptly relaxed, though she still glared fiercely.

The silver haired man looked vaguely shocked. "Very well. If you're so good, why don't we have a little match? Gallahan versus Valentine."

Faye began to smile, and nodded her head. "Very well." She pulled off her jacket, folding it neatly, and draping it over a chair. Off came her shoes and knee-highs, piled next to her jacket. 

Blayce had also discarded his jacket, and was standing opposite her, fists up, knees bent.

Faye sunk easily into a fighter's crouch, a smirk turning up the corners of her mouth.

Spike regarded the match with a silent interest. The fighters were completely still for moment, then they flew together in a flurry of punches, kicks, and blocks. For many seconds, they fought, neither seeming to have the advantage. Then just as abruptly, they broke away. 

Blayce stumbled backwards, looking the worse for the wear. His blond hair was falling out of his ponytail, and several bruises already beginning to puff up.

The woman, _Faye_ he reminded himself, was bleeding slightly from a split lip, but she did not seem notice it at all. Smirking, she hitched her skirt up to the base of her hips, freeing a good amount of leg.

Vicious nudged Spike, grinning. The woman noticed, but said nothing, keeping her attention on the fight.

The fight began to wind down, as the woman obviously had the upper hand. She aimed a kick at Blayce's midsection, but he caught her leg, and turned it, forcing her to the ground. But instead of falling, she moved faster than her partner, throwing herself forward, onto Blayce. Her added weight unbalanced him, and he fell backwards with her on top of him. Her foot pressed against his windpipe, and he held his hands up. "I yield…again."

Vicious looked surprised in spite of himself. "Again? You mean she's beaten you before?"

Faye reached down and pulled Blayce to his feet, as he grinned at her. "Of course. I don't think I've ever beaten her…"

Vicious shook his head, "Great…" he muttered. "A He-woman…"

Faye looked up when she heard that. "Oh…" she said. "I'm ALL woman…" she sauntered forward, her hips swaying slightly as she walked. "I'm female from head…" she placed one finger on Vicious' forehead. "To toe…" she dragged it lightly down to his stomach.

Vicious stammered something, blinking rapidly. 

Spike was turning blue from attempting to contain his laughter. He stuffed his fist in his mouth, and pounded his fist on his leg, tears of mirth pouring down his face.

Vicious regained his composure, and glared at Spike and Faye. "Let us go to the next test…" he gestured for them to precede him. Spike slapped him heartily on the shoulder as he walked past, still snickering.

The next test was marksmanship. This time, Vicious did not make any sexist inferences, which was good, because, once again, Faye bested her partner. Spike watched, impressed, as she placed a steady row of bullets across the targets.

She blew the smoke off the muzzle of her gun, and smiled. "Is there any other tests I need to go through?"

Vicious looked over his clipboard. "Do you-"

"Vicious." A cold voice froze both Spike and Vicious in their tracks. "Lord Akihito!" they bowed low.

A middle-aged man wearing a Gucci suit strode past the men. "I have but one test left for you, until you can enter the ranks of the Red Dragon Syndicate." He regarded Faye with hard eyes. He pointed to Blayce. "Shoot him."

Closing her eyes, Faye stretched out her arm, and pulled the trigger.

Blayce dropped, her bullet embedded in his skull. 

Well. Now you have met our leading man, and discovered some of the heroine's hidden talents. The hero his more of a supporting role in this chapter, as his best friend is more vocal than he is. But he is not on the backburner, oh no. As of now, the hero and heroine are still wary of each other. The heroine has just made the first of her painful decisions. Killing her partner like that will haunt her for the rest of her life, as it is the cause that sets off a whole chain of tragic events. And this is just the beginning… 


End file.
